Production of tablets



Nov. 11, 1941 L. 'r. A REWS" nonucnon OF mama's Filed Dec. 2, 1937 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 11, 1941 t I v t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRODUCTION OF TABLETS Lionel T. Andrews, Jamaica, N. Y., assignor to E. B. Squibb & Sons, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York .Application December 2, 1937, Serial No. 177,674 4 Claims. (01. 107-47) This .invention relates to the production of simplest embodiment, the invention utilizes nontablets, particularly pharmaceutical tablets. e o se al d s a d P c but it s Tablets are ordinarily prepared by compressing tended to embrace also use of ferrous dies and tablet granulations between polished steel dies punches having non-ferrous Jackets, liners, or and punches. Practically all tablet granulations other structures in which the surfaces Pr s n must be lubricated so that they will be deliveredt t granulation e n rousproperly from the punches and dies. Thus it is The following examples are illustrative of the common practice to incorporate a lubricant, such invention: as tale, with the tablet granulation, to prevent Exampl 1 binding and sticking, and to enable ejection of the tablet without breakage. In some cases, no- A conventional tablet tably that of hypodermic tablets, lubricants are contraindicated because the tablets must give clear solutions, whereas the conventional lubricants are insoluble materials; and the tablets compressing machine is equipped with phosphorus-bronze dies and punches. The phosphorus bronze may, for example, have a composition approximately as follows:

Percent must accordingly be prepared by handmolding. Copper 92 an uneconomic procedure yielding tablets which Tin 4 are unikely to be uniform in appearance and phosphorus 2,5

dosage. In other cases, notably that of citric acid tablets, sticking is not prevented by the adercurization of the punches is effected as folditlon of a l b t, and t preparation of lows: The surfaces presented to the granulation u h t l t by compression is therefo 1mprac are rubbed with a mixture of chalk and merti aL cury (e. g. 90% chalk and 10% mercury); if the It is the object 01' this invention'to provide Surfaces w t mercurize readily, they are means for producing tablets without including rubbed with a mixture of chalk and reduced sillubricants therein. It is a further object of this mlxtm'e of 90% chalk 10% invention to provide means for compression-tabduced silver), thesurfaces are then dlpped W leting non-lubricatable pharmaceuticals, i. e. mercury, and finally rubbed with a mixture of pharmaceuticals for which lubricants are conchalk and mercury chalk and traindicated, and pharmaceuticals with which mercum- The sllver may be prepared the usual lubricants are partially or completely by alkalizmg 5 50111131011 of Silver nitrate With ineffect1ve caustic soda, adding glucose, boiling the solution, In the ti of this invention the punches illtering off the precipitated reduced silver, washand preferably also the dies, are so modified as mg the precipitate with water and drying- A to present a non-ferrous-metal surface to the 35 morphine granulation is then Placed in the die granulation being compressed. Preferably, furand compressed between the P ther, the non-ferrous surface is lubricated with lets are readily ejected wlthout stickmg or mercury, i. e. coated with a thin film of mercury. are uniform in appearance accurate The non fermus metal surface may bepcomposedv in dosage, and yield clear aqueous solutions. for example of copper a copper alloy (as bras m Compression of codeine and other alkaloids or phosphorus bronze) or silver. and alkaloid salts in the same manner yields sim- In the accompanying drawing there is shown flatly swsmmry results in fragmentary cross-section the die-and-punch Example 2 combination of a conventional pharmaceutical tableting machine modified in accordance with A conventional tablet'compressmg machine 15 the invention. Within a die 1,01 suitable cylinequipped wlth die d Punch brass, drical aperture,-there operates a pair of punches and an upper punch of phosphorus bronze- The 2 and 3. Lower punch 3 is adapted to be set at brass for example have a composition the desired position within the die (depending on proximately as follows:

the amount of granulation I to be compressed), C Percent and also acts to eject the compressed tablet from Lopper ,the die. Surfaces presented to the granulation' F are l, 5, and 8 (shown in heavy lines). These zmc 345-375 surfaces, or at least 5 and B, are or a non-ferrous The brass surfaces presented to the granulation metal, and are preferably mercurized. its are moistened with water and rubbed with mercuric chloride powder; excess mercuric chloride is washed ofi, and the mercurized surface polished with a dry cloth. A citric acid granulation is placed in the die, compressed between the punches, and ejected; the ejection being readily effected without sticking or breaking of the tablets.

' Example 3 A lubricant-containing granulation for effervescent bromide tablets (e. g. a mixture of ammonium, sodium, and potassium bromides) is compressed' by mercurized phosphorus-bronze punches in a stainless-steel die. The tablets do not stick or require cleaning, as they do when steel punches are used.

LIONEL T. ANDREWS 

